The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-09-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Bigotry and the Evils of Sectarian-
ism Discussed.
Preferences for Particular Religious Be.
liefs and Forms of Worship Lawful
8x and Proper, But United Chris
tian Labor Badly Needed.

liefs and Forms of Worship Lawful
A8E and Proper, But United Chris
tian Labor Badly Needed.
In bis fifth sermon at "The Hamptons"
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage dealt with
"Bigots," taking for his text:
Then said they unto him, ''Say now Shibbo-
leth,;" and he said Sibboleth, for he could not
frame to pronounce it right. Then they took
him, and slew him at the passages OF Jordan
Judges, xii, 6.
% - Do you. notice the difference of pronun-
y citation Between shibboeth and sbboleth?
A very small and unimportant difference,
you say. And yet that difference was the
difference between life and death for a
great many people. The Lords people,
Gilead and Ephraim, got into great fight,
and Ephraim was worsted, and on the re-
treat came to the river Jordan to cross.
Order was given that all Ephraimites COM
ing there be slain. But how could it be
found out who were Ephraimites? They
were decided by their pronunciation.
Shibboleth was a word that stood for
river. The Ephraimites had brogue of
.heir own,. and when they tried to say
shibboleth always left out the sound of the
"h." When it was asked that they say
shibboleth they said sibboleth, and were
slain.
Then said they unto him, "Say now Shib-
boleth;' and he said Sibboleth, for he could
not frame to pronounce it right. Then they
took him, and slew him at the passage of Jor-
dan
A very small difference, you say, be-
Tween -Gilead and Ephraim, and yet how
much intolerance about that small diff
ference. The Lords tribes in our time
by which mean the different denomina-
q tions of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. magnify
very small difference, and the only diff
ference, between scores of denominations
to-day is the difference between shibboleth
; and sibboleth.s SO
The Church Of God is divided into a
great number of denominations. Time
sssWould fall me to tell of the Calvinists, and
the Arminians, and the Sabbatarians, and
the Baxterians, and the Dunkers, and the
Shakers, and the Quakers, and the Method
lists, and the Baptists, and the Episco-
- pa1ians, and the Lutherans, and the Con-
gregationalists, and the Presbyterians,
and the Spiritualists, and a score of other
denominations of religionists, some of them
founded by very good men, some of them
founded by very egotistic men, and
some of them founded by very bad men.
But asyI demand for myself liberty of con-
science, must give that same liberty to
every other man, remembering that he no
more differs from me than I differ from
him. / advocate the largest liberty in all
religious belief and form of worship. In
art, in politics, in morals and in religion
let there be no gag law, no moving of the
previous question, no persecution, no in
tolerance.
You know that the air and the water
keep pure by constant circulation, and ]
think there is tendency in religious dis.
cussion to publication and moral health
Between the fourth and sixteenth cent
uries the church proposed to make people
think Alright by prohibiting discussion and
by strong censorship of the press, and by
rack, and gibbet, and hot lead down the
throat, tried to make people orthodox;
but it was discovered that you can not
change mans belief by twisting off his
head, and that you can not make man
see things differently by putting an avn
through his eyes. There is something in O
mans conscience which will hurl off the
mountain which you throw upon it, and
unsinged of the fire, out of the fame will
make red wings on which the martyr will
mount to glory.
In that time Of which speak, between
the fourth and sixteenth centuries, people
went from the house of God into the most
appalling iniquity, and right along by con
secrated affairs there were tides of drunk.
enness and Righteousness such as the world
never heard of, and the very sewers Of
perdition broke loose and flooded the
church. After awhile the printing pres.
was freed, and it broke the shackles of the
human mind. Then there came large
number of bad books, but where there wa.
one man hostile to the Christian religion
there were twenty men ready to advocate
e it; 30 i have not any nervousness in re
gard to this battle going on between trutl
and error.
The truth will conquer just as certainly
as that God is stronger than the devil
Let Error run if you only let Truth ru1
along with it. Urged on by skeptic'
shout and Observation-Disclosures spur, let
run. Gods angels of wrath are in hot pur
suit, and quicker than an eagles beal
clutches out hawks heart, Gods ven
geance will tear it to pieces.
propose this morning to speak to yo
OF sectarianism-its origin, its evils an,
its cures. There are those who woul,
make us think that this monster, witt
horns and hoofs, is religion. shall chas
it to its hiding place and drag it out Of tn
caverns of darkness, and rip off it's hide
But l want to make distinction between
. bigotry and the lawful fondness for pecul
lar religious beliefs and forms of worship
have no admiration for nothingarian
In world of such tremendous vicissi
tudes and temptation, and with a SOU
that must after awhile stand before
throne of insufferable brightness, in a da,
when the rocking of the mountains ant
the flaming of the heavens, and the UP
heaval of the sea shall be among tn
least of the excitements, to give accoun
for every thought, word, action, prefer
ence and dislike-that man is mad VIII,
has no religious preference. But our ear
ly education, our physical temperament
our mental constitution, will very mucl
decide our form of worship.
A style of psalmody that may please m
may displease you. Some would like t.
have minister in gown, and bands, an,
surplice, and others prefer to have a min
lister in plain citizens apparel. Some ar
most impressed when little child is pre-
sented at the altar and sprinkled of tn
waters of a holy benediction Gin the nam
of the Father and of the Son and IF +b,